Tattoos
by ash the airbender
Summary: "I must inform you, Captain, you're making a terrible decision." "As always, Spock, your input is invaluable to me and I will take your informed opinion into due consideration." (Spirk one-shot)


**Tattoos**

_A/N: I just wanted Jim to have a sexy tattoo. Then this happened. I really can't be blamed for it. Please inform me of any spelling or grammar mistakes, especially since I wrote this on my phone and, as we all know, sometimes AutoCorrect gets it wrong. Idea courtesy of Aimlessly Unknown, though she doesn't know it. She's a personal friend, and we have something of a Kirk/Spock relationship. Lately she's been considering getting a tattoo. You see where I'm coming from._

XXX

Spock could make out Jim's distinct voice as the doors of the turbo lift slid open, before he even stepped onto the bridge. His hearing was already well up to Vulcan standards, but in addition to that, it seemed his senses had all attuned themselves to Jim in a way they hadn't done with anyone else Spock had ever known.

Not being one for self-deception, Spock long ago recognized his special attention for Jim as a sign of attraction and filed this information away under the label "To Be Ignored." Spock had plenty of practice ignoring his sometimes all-too-human emotions, after all, and it was going to take more than a silly crush to break down the half-Vulcan's monumental resolve.

Indeed, stepping onto the bridge, Spock's eyes immediately found the Captain and his gaze fixated on him. Jim, seemingly oblivious to – or at least uninterested in – Spock's presence, continued on undeterred.

Taking in the Captain's current position, Spock felt his eyebrows dart up of their own volition. Jim was standing over Lieutenant Uhura's workstation, leaning in a manner that could easily be construed as suggestive, especially considering Jim's reputation with women. This, however, was not surprising in the least; if anything, the crew, including Spock, had come to expect behavior like this from their Captain.

The unusual elements of this particular situation were twofold: First, rather than leering wickedly down at Uhura, as would fit Jim's current stance, Jim was looking at the officer with a mixture of genuine interest and uncertainty, both qualities that were not often associated with the impulsive, confident Captain of the Enterprise.

Second, Uhura showed none of her usual disgust at Jim's advances, leading Spock to believe that perhaps he initially misinterpreted the situation. In fact, Jim and Nyota appeared to be engaging in a serious discussion; judging by his look, Jim had come to Uhura for some form of advice and just happened to be standing with his hips jutting out and showing off his impressive form.

Or maybe Spock was imagining things, such as how he'd like the Captain to stand _all_ the time, if only so Spock could look at him...

Spock shook his head, just barely, to clear it. He'd come to the bridge for a reason, and now he couldn't seem to remember… He'd been distracted by Jim and Uhura's interaction off to the side.

Now that Spock thought about it, it made sense that Jim would be going to Uhura. When Jim needed advice – instances of which, as Jim's youthful cockiness gave way to the mature, responsible nature of a Starfleet Captain, were becoming more and more frequent – he usually came to Spock, if it was a matter regarding the ship or their voyages, or Bones, for just about anything else. But there were many issues that the emotionally distant half-Vulcan and the rough-around-the-edges doctor couldn't help with or provide any insight into, and that, Spock speculated, was what Uhura was for.

It was perfectly logical. At least, it was until Uhura placed her hands flat on either side of Jim's lower stomach, just above his hips, telling him something that was lost to Spock's ears in his complete disbelief at this unexpected development.

Unwilling to stand by while this madness carried on any further, Spock cleared his throat loud enough for both Jim and Uhura to hear. Instead of going red and fumbling for an excuse to explain their peculiar behavior, both parties calmly turned to regard Spock with nothing at all resembling guilt or humiliation.

Curious.

"If you don't mind my asking," Spock smoothly said, "What is it the two of you were… discussing a moment ago?" He was going to ask what they'd been doing, but that would have sounded a little presumptuous. In all likelihood, they hadn't been "doing" anything, and Spock was merely misevaluating complex human behavior.

"I was advising the Captain on a personal matter," Uhura said, calmly crossing her legs. Jim chimed in.

"I'm thinking of getting a tattoo next time we visit Earth," he said. Spock's eyebrows skyrocketed, but he didn't say anything. If the Captain wanted his opinion, he would have asked for it, and seeing as this wasn't a matter regarding Starfleet regulation, the Enterprise, or her crew, it was not Spock's responsibility to advise Jim on what he perceived as the best course of action.

Besides, there would be plenty of time to tell Jim how stupid he was being when it would be just the two of them and no third party to tip the scale either way, especially since it didn't seem like Uhura was too opposed to the idea.

"Uhura was helping me decide where to get it," Jim continued, oblivious to Spock's internal monologue. Of course, Spock was a master at preventing his thoughts and emotions from showing on his face. "I needed a female opinion, and I figured she'd be the most objective."

"Why would a female opinion be necessary to your decision-making process on this matter, Captain?" Spock asked. Jim grinned.

"If I'm gonna get a tattoo, I want it to look sexy," he said. Spock barely repressed a roll of his eyes and turned to exit the room, his original purpose in going there entirely forgotten.

XXX

News of Jim's desire to get a tattoo spread through the ship like wildfire, as gossip tended to do on some of the Enterprise's duller missions. It turned out to be one of the few topics on which Spock and Bones shared an opinion.

"Have you heard Jim's latest crazy idea?" Bones brought up out of the blue when Spock was in sickbay for a routine medical examination.

"I have heard that the Captain is considering getting a tattoo somewhere on his person, yes," Spock said neutrally. Bones grunted his obvious disapproval and shook his head.

"More than considering it; he's planning on it!" Bones continued scowling. "I don't know where he got the idea; Sulu was speculating that it might have been on Phecda V."

"It's possible the Captain was inspired by the natives' tradition of tattooing their bodies when they come of age, as a symbol that they are ready to find their life partner. It is an integral part of their mating ritual," Spock explained.

"If I didn't know Jim, I'd think he was being cultural, but he's not the sort to pick up on other people's traditions. He's too stubborn."

Spock eyed the doctor with the faintest ghost of a smile. "Much like you," he observed.

"Like you're any less stubborn than either of us," Bones grumbled, but there was a touch of humor to his tone. Bones then changed his tone entirely, bringing the conversation back to their original point. "And stubbornness aside, I know for a fact Jim hasn't been on the market as far as 'mating' goes ever since becoming Captain," he continued. Spock showed no reaction to this, and didn't say anything, because he didn't have anything to say about that and if he did, it certainly wouldn't be anything he'd want to admit out loud to anyone, least of all the doctor.

Bones continued. "I know because every time we go drinking he moans about how long it's been since he's gotten any action. He's trying to take his responsibilities as Captain seriously, or something. I guess for some reason he can't find time for any one-night stands even when we're planetside." Bones shrugged, clearly not all that interested in his friend's sex life. Not as interested as Spock was, anyhow.

But of course, he would never admit it, nor would he act on it. It was only a pointless attraction.

XXX

Spock and Bones trailed after Jim as he walked – or rather, strutted, in typical Jim fashion – out of the Starfleet building where the Captain and his First Officer had just met with Admiral Pike.

For weeks now, Jim's two closest friends had been trying to dissuade him from his now determined decision to get a tattoo. Why were they vehement in convincing Jim? They had their reasons…

"I must inform you, Captain, you're making a terrible decision," Spock said, lengthening his stride to keep up with Jim, who was now almost jogging to get away from them. Spock sensed rather than saw Jim roll his eyes.

"As always, Spock, your input is invaluable to me and I will take your informed opinion into due consideration," Jim said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You should listen to your First Officer, Jim," Bones suggested, out of breath from practically sprinting across Starfleet Headquarters to catch Jim before he left.

"I'm aware of your medical concerns, Bones, but you and I both know they're completely unfounded," Jim said. "There's nothing unsanitary about the process these days. They haven't used needles in ages, or I wouldn't be doing this."

"Medical concerns aside, I know you, and so does Spock, and we're both all too familiar with your habit of acting without thinking and doing things you regret."

"That's not gonna happen this time." Jim turned to face his friends, stopping them in their tracks. "I've given this a lot of thought. I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

Bones and Spock shared a look, each recognizing the futility of the situation. The doctor shrugged.

"Alright," he said gruffly, clapping Jim on the shoulder. "In that case, don't let us stop you."

"I wasn't going to," Jim said frankly. He turned to Spock, looking at the Vulcan expectantly. Spock focused on a point just beyond Jim's head, rather than meeting his eyes. Before he'd met Jim, Spock hated admitting defeat, but since serving under Jim, he found himself doing so with startling frequency. Sometimes there was simply no arguing with the Captain, though that didn't mean Spock wasn't going to try.

But in this instance, Spock judged that it wasn't worth it. While his people had no such practices of making permanent alterations to their bodies – from tattoos to plastic surgery – as doing so was considered impractical and unnecessary, Spock realized Jim was never one for being practical.

Spock sighed inwardly, though showed no outward signs of concession other than to reluctantly say, "I suppose if Lieutenant Uhura agrees with your sudden urge to have ink permanently imprinted on your skin, then perhaps the practice is a harmless human tradition that I can make an effort to tolerate."

"Is that your way of saying you aren't going to keep giving me grief about this?" Jim asked, but didn't wait for Spock's answer. He shook his head. "Honestly, you two can both be real sticks-in-the-mud sometimes."

XXX

Neither Spock nor Bones mentioned anything about tattoos to their Captain when they got back on board the Enterprise. Bones insisted on checking Jim for infections ("You can never be too careful," he said, though his sentiment was met with an eye-roll from Jim), but other than that, everything was normal. Of course it was. Why wouldn't it be?

Spock was waiting for the Captain in his quarters one evening for their daily game of chess. It was a tradition they began when they both discovered each other's affinity for the game. Spock usually won, but Jim was learning his tactics and posing quite the challenge. He nearly cornered Spock on their last match, which of course only fueled Jim's determination to win. Spock knew he probably wouldn't be so lucky this time.

Jim came straight from sparring with Sulu, which accounted for his tardiness. Spock watched him enter the room with calm, dark, expressionless eyes.

"Sorry I'm late," Jim said, wiping beads of sweat off his forehead. "Let me just change into something less sweat-soaked." Spock had been enjoying the view presented to him by the wet t-shirt plastered to Jim's chest, but he did not voice his objections.

Jim crossed the room, flinging his t-shirt off to the side, where it landed on the floor in a lumpy heap. Spock forced himself to turn away from an impressive view of the Captain's bare back, focusing his eyes on the game set up in front of him. His hands twitched.

After a long, agonizing moment, Spock indulged himself and allowed himself to turn around. He was met with the sight of Jim, shirtless, wearing a pair of loose sweatpants low on his hips. To Spock's dismay, Jim had turned to face him as well, and their eyes met instantly. Spock schooled his expression into something neutral, but he could not stop the flush of green that was surely showing on his face. Jim looked unperturbed.

Spock's gaze was then caught by black ink lines on Jim's torso. He took in the detailed image of the Enterprise tattooed on the front of Jim's lower hip, barely obscured by the band of Jim's sweatpants. Spock's eyes widened marginally.

"The Enterprise?" He looked up at Jim's face, curious. "Why?"

Jim shrugged. "I wanted something meaningful, and this ship is one of the most important things in my life," he said. "I got the idea on Phecda V." Spock made a mental note that Sulu's suspicions had been confirmed.

"I too found their traditions intriguing," Spock agreed, hoping to distract his wandering gaze with some intellectually stimulating conversation. "In particular, their way of showing devotion to their life partner by tattooing intimate designs meant only for their partner's eyes—" Spock cut off, processing his own words and drawing back with hesitancy. Jim raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"Yes?" Jim prompted. Spock found himself unable to vocalize, his mouth hanging slightly ajar in confusion. His eyes darted up to meet Jim's, then traveled back to the Enterprise on Jim's hip. Jim was wearing his sweatpants loosely, their waistband falling quite a bit lower than would the pants of his Captain's uniform. Even if Jim were to go shirtless, under normal circumstances, his tattoo would be completely covered. Meaning Spock was perhaps the only one to have seen it.

Spock clamped his mouth shut and shook his head, ridding himself, however temporarily, of these dangerous thoughts. Once again the half-Vulcan was reading too deeply into things that had no meaning. "Never mind," he said. He gestured to the chessboard. "Shall we play?"

Jim took several steps closer to Spock, placing a hand on Spock's shoulder. Spock was very near to eye-level with Jim's tattoo. He gulped and clenched his hands into fists in his lap; his Vulcan half longed to reach out and touch Jim, just there, trace the lines of the ship with his fingers. His human half wanted to do several other, equally unacceptable things to it.

"Hold on," Jim said, his voice startling Spock back to reality. "What was that you were saying, about devotion and intimacy?" Jim's tone was easy and casual, but something about his demeanor alerted Spock to the possibility that something, he wasn't sure what, had altered between them.

"I—" Spock choked on his words. "I was not aware of your interest in interplanetary traditions," he said, hoping to retreat to the protective shell of logic with which he was so familiar.

What Jim said next, however, shattered Spock's beloved logic like a hammer to glass.

"Only the ones that I find applicable in my life," Jim said. Spock was silent for a moment as he replayed Jim's words in his head.

Several sounds could be heard at once in the instants that followed: Spock's chair spun around so quickly it screeched its protest, Spock himself emitted a noise that fell somewhere between a groan, a whine, and a growl, and Jim grunted as he found himself shoved back against the wall of his quarters with a thud.

Spock's mouth was hot on Jim's, one of his hands going directly to Jim's right hip, where the Enterprise was proudly emblazoned in bold black lines, and the other clasping Jim's left hand in a desperate grip. Spock groaned when he felt Jim's lust wash over him, followed by a powerful sense of… self-satisfaction? Spock drew back, releasing Jim's hand and regarding him with confusion. Jim grinned, out of breath.

"I was wondering when you'd get the hint," he said proudly, looking surprisingly in control for someone trapped between a wall and a powerful half-Vulcan. Spock's eyebrows drew together and he frowned. Suddenly everything made sense: Jim's sudden desire to get a tattoo, consulting Uhura to advise him on the details, Sulu's hypothesis that Jim was inspired by their voyage to Phecda V.

Once again Spock's thoughts were interrupted by Jim's arrogant, incredibly pleased voice. "Not that I don't enjoy the look on your face like I've finally managed to outwit you, but if you're done thinking, this tattoo isn't the only intimate thing I was planning on showing you." Jim smirked and gave his eyebrows a suggestive quirk. Spock was only slightly taken aback before he regained control of the situation, pressing his hips delightfully into Jim's and tightening his grip on Jim's side. His mouth spread into a grin the likes of which Jim had never seen on the usually stoic half-Vulcan.

"You won't be beating me at chess this evening, Captain," he said in a low voice that was something akin to a purr, and then he pounced on Jim in a manner that was equally feline.

The rest of the evening went by in a pleasurable blur.

XXX

The next time the Enterprise visited Phecda V, they brought extravagant gifts for the natives. It was, after all, the least they could do.


End file.
